Jesus,Moses,Socrates Essay, Research Paper
Many Ancient ideas were under the direct or indirect influence of Western thought. Socrates, Moses, and Jesus were major people who influenced Western thought. Today, I would like to compare and contrast about Socrates, Moses, and Jesus through their bibliography, encounter with divine, their mission, death and their ideas of human, ultimate, and goal. Then finally, how they influenced Western thought.
Both Jesus and Moses have similar and difference in birth. Moses was born in Hebrew family, when Moses was born, Hebrews had to be a slave for Egypt and then Pharaoh ordered to kill boy babies who are Hebrew in Israel because Pharaoh thinks that increase Hebrew boy babies are menace for Israel. Therefore, Moses f mother put Moses in basket and throws it into the Nile River. Also Jesus was born in Bethlehem, however at that time king Herod killed many babies because king Herod always worried about plots and finally became a brutal killer therefore, Jesus f mother Maria took Jesus and run away to the Egypt. They also have differences, Moses was born normal human, after he became adult he got massage from God and he became a reader of Hebrew because God said so. On the other hand, Jesus was born Son of the God. It means he was already got God fate. God already destined him. Thus, there are similarities and differences in both Moses f and Jesus f situation of birth.
Socrates was not same situation in encounter with divine from Moses and Jesus because Socrates got God message from Oracle of Apollo, on the other hand, Moses got message directly from God at the mountain of Horeb, God came across the burning bush. Then Jesus also got message directly from God, Jesus saw a spirit God come from the sky and say, gThis is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased h (Matthew 3:17). Information from above, Socrates was different from Moses and Jesus because Socrates got message indirectly from God and Moses and Jesus got message directly from Got. However, there are also similarities because all three figures were distressed God message. Socrates got message that he was the wisest man but Socrates believed that is false, so he really confused about message. Moses got message that to go to Pharaoh and request the Hebrew be set free to worship their God. However, Moses was perplexity about message because it was an important duty and he though, he does not have ability to do it. Finally, Jesus got message that leads people to Kingdom of Heaven, but nobody believed that he is Son of the God so he really suffering about how to tell people he is Son of the God. As a result, they both have differences and similarities about encounter with divine.
Socrates, Moses and Jesus, all three figure fs mission are same because they leaded people good way. Socrates knew that people are not wise but they falsely believed they were wise; so he gave true knowledge describe myth of the cave. According to myth of the cave, he think most people living in the cave, in dark and that the vision of knowledge and conversion to that knowledge was rescuer from darkness. So he believed that to lead get out of the cave is to give true knowledge and true idea of justice. Moses taught Ten Commandments that if people respect and accomplish Ten Commandment, they could go to Promised Land. At last People believed Ten Commandment, but Jesus think it was really difficult to understand for people, so Jesus thought that Ten Commandment was difficult to understand for people so he explain Ten Commandment. After that he teach Kingdom of Heaven and leaded to Kingdom of Heaven, this was his mission. To lead to people good way was the same each three figures f mission, but there are also differences. Process to leads people good way, Socrates explain how human is weak and do not know one fs self. He taught people knowledge; wisdom or virtue to find people fs Achilles f heel. However on the other hand, Moses and Jesus explain their mission through God ideas. For example, Moses taught people Ten Commandment thought God, and Jesus taught people Kingdom of Heaven thought God. Theses are differences of their mission.
Death of three figures has similarities only there are no differences because all three die by the sacrificial scapegoat. Socrates was sentenced to death because people did not like him and they wanted to shut him up for good. There were no evidence against Socrates to prove accusations against him, but he had to die. Moses went to Mt. Sinai for leader to receive Ten Commandment. He did not come back for forty days, therefore, people started doubt that Moses could come back or not. So that, people broke promise that believe one God, then people made new God. As a result God angry about it, so Moses not allowed entering Promised Land. He saw a Promised Land but died before he entered. Jesus was accused by Jewish, it was like Socrates because Jesus was not traitor and he did not do wrong, he taught love God, love your neighbors and love your enemies, if you do so you can enter Kingdom of Heaven. Many people admire Jesus, but one of his pupils Jude and some priest betray Jesus. Then Jesus had to have death penalty. Thus, all three figures are the scarify scapegoat, because three figures were died by people fs original sin
There are similarities and differences not only because of bibliographical information, but also because of teaching of each man, there are three areas—nature of human being, nature of ultimate and, how to live good life.
I mentioned previous in this essay, Socrates thinks that people are not wise but they falsely believed they were wise. There is an example illustrate in myth of the cave, Socrates think that human is living in the visible world, so that they can not understand what form of good, and true of knowledge. Moreover, human only interested in honor, or desire for material things (appetites) they do not care what philosophical world is. Therefore, human is ignorance and cannot understand Socratic ideas. Moses also describe that human is weak because they could not believe in one God or they could not understand true meaning of Ten Commandment because Hebrew people could not believe that Moses will come back to them, then they could believe and made new God themselves. Jesus thinks that human respect God but they do not lave God. They just followed the rules without knowing. As a result, all three figure fs idea of human are very similar because all three figures describe that human is ignorant and do not know what is true of knowledge.
According to Socrates, ultimate is form of good, world of absolute truth of knowledge because Socrates illustrates divided line in the Republic. In the divided line, there are three areas— The Form of Good, The Form Math idea this is the intelligible world, the world of absolute truth, knowledge. And Actual Objects, this is the visible world = the world of the senses. Moses view of ultimate is Ten Commandment because God decided and suggested Ten Commandment. According to Moses, God is absolute. Therefore, Ten Commandment could be ultimate. Jesus also thinks that God is absolute. Therefore, God and Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus describes could be ultimate. As a result, Socrates idea of ultimate different from Moses and Jesus f idea of ultimate because Socrates idea is to have knowledge, everything consist of knowledge, but on the other hand, Moses and Jesus ideas are God. God is everything. In addition, there is a similarity; it difficult to point out, but all three ideas of ultimate is eternal.
Socrates describes goal was that people have to have knowledge and to know the intelligible world; again myth of the cave described the goal that Socrates wanted to tell. According to myth of the cave, human live in visible world, so that human should see intelligible world. Therefore, Socrates want to leads to human to intelligible world by teaching knowledge of truth. That is Socratic goal. Moses goal was to lead people to Promised Land. According to God, if people obey Ten Commandment regulations, they can go to Promised Land, so that Moses taught precepts of God. Jesus f goals are to lead people to Kingdom of Heaven, teach meaning of Ten Commandment rationally. So he taught love God, love your neighbors and love your enemies, and explain more clearly about Ten Commandments to people. According to information above, there is a similarity because all three figures f goals are to lead their way of thinking, Socrates leads to intelligible world, Moses leads to Promised Land, and Jesus leads to Kingdom of Heaven. there is also difference between Moses and Jesus because Moses taught Ten Commandment to people even if they do not understand meaning of Ten Commandment. On the other hand, Jesus taught Ten Commandments not only accomplish, Jesus taught people meaning of Ten Commandment and explain more clearly.
In conclusion, all three figures influences Western cultural tradition. Socrates introduced new ideas and theories, such as Form of Good, truth of knowledge. His pupil Plato influenced the Western world fs philosophical development. At this point, Socrates made concept of today fs basic philosophical idea. Moses f Ten Commandment, we can see basis of modern society fs concept because Ten Commandment shows, for example, g Do not commit murder h, g Do not steel h. These Ten Commandment taught fundamental ideas of good and evil, then Jesus describe more rationally and more clearly about Ten Commandment then taught right and wrong. At this point, basic concept of today fs Morality made. After Jesus died, Jewish religion developed to Christianity, then Christianity spreads to Western culture.